


blindsided

by satan_in_trouble



Series: eddsworld [2]
Category: Eddsworld - All Media Types
Genre: A Slow Burn of Sorts, Angst, Conspiracy Theories, F/M, Fighting, Kissing, M/M, Mentions of Violence, Mildly Dubious Consent, Reader is gender neutral, Some Makeouts, Some comedy, Tags May Change, Threats of Violence, but only in regards to kissing, edd is grumpy, not a lot of fluff, reader gets into some deep shit, some drama, tom edd and matt all work for tord
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-09-02
Updated: 2019-09-11
Packaged: 2020-10-05 22:27:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 11
Words: 12,744
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20496332
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/satan_in_trouble/pseuds/satan_in_trouble
Summary: it's been years since you saw him. your past catches up with you, and you don't know what to think.(hiatus)





	1. prologue: moonlight

the night before tord left, you both lay on his bed and talked about your shared pasts. 

“i always admired the way you stood up for what you want.” he said, staring at the ceiling.

“i always thought your inventions were super clever.” you said, staring at him.

the moonlight was hitting his face in the perfect places, glinting off his cheeks and his light grey eyes. 

he turned to you, eyes flitting from your hair to your lips to your eyes.

“do you really have to leave?” you asked, voice soft. tord just nodded, his eyes looking down at your mouth again. you stared at each other for moments before he slowly moved to where he was leaning over you, one arm next to your head, the other nearer to your chest. you shifted up to lean on your elbows. tord looked closely into your eyes, before he was pressing his lips to yours. 

his kiss was soft, and you moved your arm up to wrap your fingers in his hair. tord tilted his head a bit, and you pressed your chest up against his. you pulled away, out of breath, and you both looked at each other before you pulled him down to you and embraced him. 

you laid together until you fell asleep. when you woke up, the bed was cold.


	2. poster

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> and so we begin.

you walked down the street, a small bag in hand. you had gone down to the small shops near your home, and the sun was warm in the afternoon sky. glancing to your right, you saw a poster on the corner of an alleyway that caught your attention.

walking closer, you saw the bold words ‘make a difference’ in a maroon font at the top. the rest of the poster said ‘take action, change the world’ with a phone number below. in the center there was a strange symbol - it looked like two points at an angle. the poster was small, almost as if whoever put it there wanted it to be hidden. 

you took a picture of the poster, the symbol, and the phone number, and headed home. 

hours later, you were still thinking about it. the symbol was familiar, but you’d never seen it before. deciding to look it up, you uploaded the image of the symbol to your computer and reverse-searched it. 

few things came up relating to it, but the second link caught your eye.

‘These Strange Posters Have Been Found Internationally’

it lead to a small blog, where there were posts about internet plots and conspiracies. the post talked about the posters being found in small alleys across europe. the post included images of posters in several languages. the author said it was possibly a hoax, or connected to a bigger conspiracy. there were three comments on the post, and the first asked if anyone has called the number, with a reply that no one had yet. the other comment mentioned something about an organization that could be the cause. 

the comments were all from today, and the post had been made this morning. you looked for a way to contact the post’s author, and found their email. you debated for a minute or two before sending them an email asking if they had called the number. 

you set your computer aside and sighed, before getting up to grab a glass of water. you drank it slowly before returning to your computer, opening it only to see you had a new email. 

the person had written back saying they had not, and said if you were planning to do so, to buy a burner phone. the number could lead to dangerous things. 

you quickly responded with a thank you and clicked away, looking back at the blog post. you recognized something about that symbol. you had to find out more. seeing it was only four thirty, you closed your computer and headed out to your car.

the closest ASDA store was about seven minutes away. you decided that, if whoever answered the number decided to trace the phone to where it was bought, you should head to the further store and buy the phone there. safety’s worth an extra ten minutes of driving.

walking to the tech section, you quickly found the cheap little prepaid phones. you took the one that advertised 2880 minutes. you realized only buying a phone like this would look suspicious, so you went around the store and grabbed a cheap tank top and some candy. you felt nervous the whole drive back.

once you were home you felt paranoid but exhilarated. you went around your house, locking all your windows and outside-leading doors. once that was done, you sat on your couch, and took the phone box out of the bag to look at it. it seemed easy to set up, so you opened the box. 

you pulled out your real phone once the little flip-phone was activated, and typed the number in. you felt your gut washing over with fear. you’d always loved conspiracy theories and mysteries, but being part of one seemed scary. you took a deep breath, and pressed the call button. the ringing filled your ears, and you expected to hear screams, a voice telling you that your call had been traced, heavy breathing. 

“hello, how may i assist you today?” came a smooth, accented voice. it sounded like an older woman, and you blinked before responding.

“um.” you paused. “hi.”

“hello.” she said. “how can i provide assistance?”

“i, uh, found this number on a poster?”

“ah, that explains it.” she said, not in a rude way. “you sounded rather confused. i assume you don’t know where you’ve called, then?” 

“no, i don’t- sorry.”

she laughed lightly. 

“don’t be sorry. don’t be scared either - we aren’t going to come find you. in fact, i think if you called simply because of a poster, you might come find us.”

“us?”

“yes, us. you’ve called the main training center for the red army.” she said.

the words red army sent a shock down you. a light flickered in your mind, and again you thought of the symbol.

“oh.” you simply said.

“will you be hanging up?”

“no! i, uh, i mean. could you explain what the red army is?”

“for that, you’d need to make an appointment and come in person. if you wish to do so, i can help you right now. but i will tell you, coming in to the center will mean you’ll be seen as a potential member.”

you thought for a second. the words ‘red army’, and the symbol - you could swear they reminded you of something long forgotten. someone you’d left in the past. 

“yes, i would like to make an appointment.”

“wonderful,” the woman says. “when would be a good time and date for you?”


	3. interview

you stepped out of the bathroom, hair dry and neatly combed. you quickly got dressed in a nice but casual outfit, black jeans and a black t-shirt. today was the day you had made the appointment for, and you were nervous but excited. you felt like this was something important. like this would lead to something you needed to find. 

the woman had given you two sets numbers, a three digit one and a five digit one. she told you to write them both down. you now pocketed the paper with the numbers, and your driver’s license, before locking the house up again.

you started the car, glad to remember you’d filled your tank last night, and began the drive to the base. it was around four hours away, and you understood why it was so far - secrecy. you currently lived in a very small town, the closest town to the base, as the woman had told you over the phone. 

the drive was long, but traffic was nonexistent due to the lack of houses out here. you played music the whole time, singing softly to calm your nerves. 

as you neared the third hour, the road you took led you to a gate, where you found what looked like a toll booth. it had an input for a three digit code, and you pulled out the paper with the numbers you;d been given and typed in the first code. the gate slowly opened, revealing a bridge.

you drove over the bridge for a long time, until an island came into view. there was a tall fence around what you could see, and a gate at the end of the bridge. 

you drove up to the booth outside, very afraid they would shoot you.

after a minute of waiting, the shutter behind the window pulled back and a blonde man wearing some sort of uniform looked at you.

“hello.”

“hello.” you said, unsure of what to do. 

“may i ask what the purpose of your visit is?”

“i have an appointment.” you said, and he nodded.

“do you have a five digit code?”

“yes, i do.”  
the man appeared to press something before a keypad emerged in front of you. 

“please enter your code.”

you typed in the numbers, and the man looked to his left for a few minutes. eventually he nodded his head again and pressed something again, and the gate opened. you thanked him and drove through, continuing down a road for a few short minutes. you reached a small building, blocking your way. a uniformed woman came out of the large door and went up to your car. you could see a holstered gun on her hip. 

“please put all contents of your pockets in the passenger seat of the car.” she said. 

you nodded, and took out your license and the paper. 

“exit your vehicle and hand me the keys.” she then said, and held her hand out as a gesture for ‘come out here’.

you blinked, surprised. 

“we’ll be moving your car to a lot for you. you’ll get it back when you leave.” she clarified. 

you hesitated, but got out of the car anyway. her hand was still outstretched, and you pulled your keys out and held them out for her.

“good,” she said as she took them. “please enter the building.” and with that, she was stepping to your car. 

you took a breath, and walked up to the door, pulling it open. the room inside was white, and there was a half-circle desk in the center, with two metal doors on each side. 

at the desk there was an older woman, her dark hair pulled into a bun at the nape of her neck. she wore a crisp white dress shirt, and she looked up at you in a polite manner.

“hello, how can i help you?” she said, and you recognized her voice - she had been the woman who picked up the phone. 

“i have an appointment for today.” you said. 

she smiled for a second. 

“ah, that’s right - you called here a few days ago.”

“yes, i did.”

“glad to see you really came. now, do you need to stop at the restroom before you begin your interview?”

“yes, actually.”

“that’s the door of my left. make it quick. once you’re out i’ll notify your interviewer you’re ready.”

you thanked her and quickly headed inside the bathroom. as you dried your hands you took a few deep breaths, to calm yourself. 

“ready?” the woman asked. 

“yes, i think so.” you said. the corners of her mouth turned up, and she turned to a small grey box on her desk.

“pat, i have your eleven o’ clock ready for you.” she said, pressing down on a button.

“thank you, nettie, be right there.” came the reply.

the woman - nettie - smiled at you.

“you’ll do fine.”

the door opened immediately after she said that, and a uniformed man stood there. he had shoulder length brown hair, with two pieces prominent in the front. his uniform was nicer than the ones you’d seen previous - those had just been red turtleneck sweaters with open blue coats. this man’s coat was buttoned up, and had gold embellishments on the shoulders, pockets, and a name tag. 

the man sort-of smiled at nettie, and waved you towards him.

you followed him through the door, and he shut it quietly. you stood in a small room, with a door on the left wall. there was red carpeting, and a wide desk in the center with papers and folders on it. there were two chairs, and the man gestured for you to sit in the one facing the desk’s front. 

he settled himself, and opened a thin folder. he took a pen and looked at you. 

“hello. i’ll be conducting your interview today - you will address me as sir, and you must answer all questions honestly and to the best of your knowledge.” 

“yes, sir.” 

the man nodded.

“good. now, what is your full, legal name?”

“Y/N M/N L/N.” you said, and he wrote on the paper he had.

“age?”

“twenty six.” 

“birth date?”

and he continued, eventually moving from basics to questions about how you’d found them, if you had any military experience, and, finally, he asked what drew you to the army. 

“as in, what made me interested?

“yes.” he said.

“the poster i found - it had a symbol on it.” you said, and looked at the man. “the symbol was so familiar. it reminds me of someone, and i had to learn more.”

“reminds you of someone?” he repeated, and you nodded.

“i had this friend - and i feel like i maybe saw him draw something like that symbol once. not to mention, the symbol looks an awful lot like his hair.”

“what do you mean, his hair?” his interest surprised you a bit, but you didn’t sense any malice or ill intentions.

“his hair was styled into these two points, sort of like... horns?”

the man in front of you studied you for a few seconds, and he suddenly seemed to be looking at you in a searching way.

“you are twenty six?”

“yes.” you said, slightly confused. 

“may i ask where you live?”

“northridge.”

“before that?”

“i, uh, lived in a house in london.”

“did you have any roommates?”

“um, yes.”

“what was the address?” this really surprised you, but he seemed very serious about this.

“oh, uh… 27 dirdum lane, i believe - i haven’t been there in years.” 

the man’s eyes narrowed, and he stared at you. 

“i need you to follow me.”


	4. doors

the man had quickly collected his papers into the folder, and stood next to the door waiting for you.

“am i in trouble?”

he looked at you, and slightly smiled.

“no,” he said, “not with me, at least.”

“alright.” you mumbled, and stood from your chair. once you were in front of the man, he held out his hand.

“my name is pat. do not address me by my name around my subordinates. if my superiors refer to me as my name, you may do so as well.” he said as you shook his hand.

“okay. uh, any other rules i should know?”

pat opened the door and ushered you through.

“i think you’ll be okay for today.” 

the door led to a stairwell. you realized you hadn’t seen any other buildings on the island, and that was probably because the base was underground. 

pat walked forward, motioning for you follow him. the stairs were in a round shape, and you and pat walked quickly. you didn’t know what the hurry was, but you hurried nonetheless.

eventually you reached a wide door with a small metal rectangle beside it. the door had no visible way to open it, but you watched pat press a point on the metal rectangle, which made the metal go up to reveal a keypad. 

“turn around.” he said. 

you turned around to avoid pissing him off, and after a minute you heard the sound of something releasing.

“ready?” pat asked, and you faced the door. what did you have to be ready for?

“ready.” you said anyway.

pat pressed a button on the keypad, and the door moved to the side, revealing a large room. young people moved around, speaking to each other and looking around like you were. they were probably new members of the army, you realized. some of them noticed you and stared, and you knew that you looked out of place in your casual clothes.

pat continued to walk, and he nodded for you to follow him. you walked past a man standing up, and just as you and pat reached another door, the man blew a whistle and the room fell silent.

“those are our new recruits.” pat said as you exited the room. “most of them are untrained, but i’m sure they’ll all make something of themselves.” 

you wondered why you were being treated in a friendly way - pat had been very aloof when you first met.

the halls passed, and you saw what looked like training rooms and gyms through the windows. you passed a large room with tables, which you assumed to be the dining area. eventually pat reached a wooden door, which seemed out of place amongst the metal from before.

pat took a keycard out and scanned it somewhere, and the door made an unlocking sound. the door was opened and you walked through. there were five wooden doors in this hall, and pat took you to the first one on the right. 

once the door was opened, the room inside sort of surprised you. it was a nice office, the walls painted a light brown, with two bookshelves and a large red carpet. the dark wood desk in the center had a large computer on one side, and the chairs were more comfortable looking than the ones in the first office you’d seen. the owner of the office was nowhere in sight.

“go ahead and sit down.”

“may i ask what the purpose of this is? i thought i was just being interviewed.”

“you still are. this is just for a different purpose.” he responded, settling into the chair and placing the folder he’d been carrying on the desk. you noticed a small nameplate that read ‘sergeant major’. you realized, suddenly, that pat was far more important in this army than you had thought.

“now, you said you previously lived at 27 dirdum lane, with roommates - how many roommates did you have?” 

“um,” you didn’t know what this had to do with anything. “i had four, at first. then one moved out right before i did.”

“what were the other three roommates’ names?” pat said, looking up at you.

“why does it matter?” you asked, becoming slightly unnerved. 

“please answer the question.”

“does one of them work here or something?”

“please, answer the question.”

you looked at pat, and he held no malice in his eyes.

“edd, matt, and tom.” 

pat nodded, seemingly expecting that answer.

“were you close with them?”

“uh, yeah, they were my best friends for like three years.”

“did you move out due to a falling out?”

“no? i just got a job further away.” you said.

“have you seen them since you moved out?”

“no, but what...” you paused, “how are my old roommates involved with my interview?”

pat stared at you again, and you couldn’t help but feel he was trying to see if you were being honest. he narrowed his eyes for a second, and then stood up.

“i have some matters to attend to. please wait here for my return - should anyone come in here looking for me, please inform them i’m busy.” pat said, making his way to the door. you watched him shut the door behind him and wondered what the hell you’d gotten yourself into.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> things will go slower in this fic, but youll be meeting an old friend soon ;)


	5. cigarette

you sat in the office for a few minutes, staring at your hands, before you decided to look at the room you were in. the room was not overly large but not too small; a perfectly normal size for a high-ranking member of an army.

an army, you realized. you were underground in a secret, most likely treacherous army base. you’d been so invested in finding out about the symbol and the poster that you’d ignored the fact that you were probably committing treason against the government by sitting in this room. 

you took a deep breath, and remembered someone telling you about his plans to rule the world. he had held you tight in his arms as he spoke about conquering the planet, and he’d looked down at you as he mentioned he’d need someone to take charge with. 

“you couldn’t rule on your own?” you had joked, smiling at him.

“i’d get lonely if i did.” he’d replied, capturing you in a kiss. 

you don’t know what made you think about that - you hadn’t seen tord in years, and he couldn’t have actually begun an army. tord was a genius, a clever and charismatic man, but there was no way he could gain that power in the three years since you’d seen him. 

but the fact that it was called the red army, and the similarity between his hair and the symbol...

no, you decided. tord may have broken your heart but he wasn’t evil enough to seriously take over the world. besides, a name and symbol don’t mean anything.

you glanced around for a clock, and found one above the desk. it read one thirty, and you felt shocked - maybe walking through the base had taken a while, and maybe pat had been gone longer than you’d thought. you fidgeted with your hands for a few moments, before the door opened. 

you heard feet shuffling, steps being taken. you looked up at pat as he stood stiffly in front of the desk. someone else walked up, leaning casually against the desk next to pat. 

this man was much more scruffy looking. pat was smooth, styled, had a clean appearance. the new man had messy, short hair, and was in need of a shave. his eyes had bags underneath, his coat was unbuttoned, and his sweater looked looser. he had a cigarette in his mouth, and it didn’t look lit. but despite the obvious differences in how he presented himself, you got the feel this man was the superior here.

“this is (Y/N), sir.” pat said, proving your suspicions. his voice was once again serious. the man, who had looked slightly bored, flicked his eyes to look at you. looking you up and down, the man raised one thick eyebrow. 

“huh.” he spoke, voice low and hinting at a foreign accent. “how’d you find your way here, (Y/N)?” 

“there was a poster in my town, and i called the number on it.”

“no one told you about us?”

“no. i didn’t even know i had called an army’s number until the woman on the phone informed me.”

the man raised his eyebrow higher and narrowed his eyes, staring hard at you. you blinked at him and resisted the urge to look away.

the man reached into his pocket and pulled out a lighter, flicking it open and lighting his cigarette. he took a drag from it, still glaring at you. 

“you told pat you lived with four guys. edd, matt, tom, and…?”

“his name was tord.”

he nodded, and suddenly his eyes lost the harsh light and he just looked interested. 

“pat, go inform them.”

“all of them, sir?”

“not him. we’ll wait until they’ve made their verdict.” there was emphasis on the word ‘him’, and you felt the curiosity bubble up again.

pat nodded at the man, and quickly exited the room. you watched as he took another drag off his cigarette, and relaxing his posture just a tad more.

“do you know anything about this army?” the man questioned. 

“uh. no, sir.” you added the ‘sir’ to show respect, but he just chuckled. 

“you don’t need to call me sir. just call me pau.” he smiled a bit, and you wondered again why these army officials were all so trusting with their names.

“uh. okay. so, pau, can i ask you some stuff?”

“sure.” he said, shrugging. he rubbed his cigarette out in an ashtray on the desk, and looked expectantly at you.

“why was pat asking me about my old roommates?”

“you’ll find out soon.”

“hm.” you were unsatisfied with that answer, but you could wait. “how come you and pat told me your names? you’re both important figures, i’m sure, and that can’t be public information.” 

pau laughed, deep in his chest. 

“smart. you’ll probably learn that when you get the first answer.” 

“when will that be?”

“few minutes, probably. the only one who might slow pat down is the PA.” pau said. 

“PA?” you repeated. pau nodded.

“personal assistant. he fuckin’ hates being called an assistant, though - he likes to say he’s the ‘personal advisor’. that’s honestly bullshit, because there’s two advisors.”

“who’s the other one?”

“you’re lookin’ at him, doll.” pau grinned lazily. you cracked a small smile and leaned back in your seat.

the sound of walking came towards the door, and pau’s grin dropped to an easy smile.

you thought you recognized something about the footsteps - one set seemed very sluggish, and another sounded a bit too practiced.

the door opened behind you, and as you turned, you saw a sight you never expected to see again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> alright next chapter is where your fave trio comes in, i swear


	6. reunion

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> the boys are here B)

pat stood beside them, posture rigid. you barely looked at him, though - the three men by the door were your main focus.

matt’s hair was still styled, gently waved to the ceiling. he had metal surrounding his jawline, and his left eye looked robotic. he had gotten rid of the purple hoodie and replaced it with a lavender turtleneck, but kept the green jacket. matt looked tired, but he still looked handsome.

tom had more stubble around his chin, and he had a large metal screen around his eyes - it displayed two green pixelated eyes instead. his outfit was the most dramatically changed, having forgone the worn hoodie in favor of a blue dress shirt and black waistcoat. you’d never seen tom so formal, but it was definitely his styling.

edd towered over the rest of you, more so than he had before. he wore the same hoodie, but now wore black jeans and a huge black trenchcoat. he had dark under his eyes and an almost-beard, and looked much angrier then you remembered him being. 

the three men stood still, eyes trained on you. you kept flicking your eyes between their faces, looking shocked, you were sure. eventually you heard pau shift in his position behind you, and you slowly stood up, holding the back of the chair.

mat was the first to walk forward, quietly, but once he reached you and looked down at your eyes, he broke into a smile and hugged you.

you let out a little laugh, and quickly returned the embrace. matt squeezed your shoulders, and when he released you, you could see the joy in his natural eye. there was movement and you saw tom heading towards you, and he looked surprised but happy. you both side-hugged, the way you always did when you lived together. tom patted your shoulder before stepping away. 

edd stared at you still, but his mouth lifted very slightly into a smile. you smiled back and soon edd was hugging you too, but the man was so large it was a bit hard to completely wrap your arms around. 

once you’d all hugged, pau gestured for you to sit back down. you moved into the chair, and all the men gathered in front of you at the desk.

“(Y/N),” matt said, voice friendly, “what are you doing here?”

“i found a poster with a phone number on it.”

tom snorted. 

“that’s how you found the red army?” 

“yeah.” 

you all chattered a bit before the subject of the poster came back.

“you just called the number? what else was on the poster?” edd asked. his voice had gotten deeper.

“oh…” you laughed lightly, “there were a few phrases about change, and then in the middle there was a symbol. the symbol is really what made me call.”

“why?” tom rested his jaw on his hand.

“it’s kinda stupid, honestly, but the symbol was like- it looked like two points and it was sort of tilted, and for some reason, it really reminded me of tord.” you said, trying to ignore the weight in your chest - you hadn’t spoken about tord in a long time.

edd suddenly shifted, and matt sat slightly straighter, and tom lost the casual smile and instead looked very seriously at you.

“of tord?”

“yeah.” you said, feeling as if you’d said something wrong. “his hair. it’s a dumb reason to call a strange number, but-“

“(Y/N), do you know where tord is?” when matt said his name, he sounded a bit unsure, as if he hadn’t spoken tord’s name in a while. 

“no, i haven’t seen him since he moved out.”  
your three friends shared glances, before tom turned to pau. 

“he doesn’t know yet then?”

“nope.” pau said. 

“uh. who’s he?”

edd looked a bit sadly at you before he sighed.

“you’re gonna find out sooner or later.” 

“what?” you looked at everyone’s faces, and they all seemed to be a bit too serious.

“(Y/N),” matt sighed, “tord is the leader of this army.”

you felt the thud in your chest. the symbol resembling his hair. the color choice of the army. the door locks that had to have been made by someone in the army. his obsession with guns would have come in handy. he was incredible at planning. 

“one day, kjære, the world will be mine.” 

it set in that you were in a hidden army base that was run by your old friend. you’d thought earlier that tord couldn’t be in this army - but you knew he could. tord was all too capable of doing this. 

you looked back at matt.

“where is he?”

pau stood straight up.

“red leader is busy.” red leader? that was his title?

“pau,” tom said tiredly, “they should see him.”

“but should he see them?”

“did you two fight or anything before he left?” matt questioned, leaning towards you. the other four men looked at you, too. 

“no. he just left me.”

pat sucked in a breath as pau raised his eyebrows.

“weird way to phrase it.” pau said, and you knew what he was wondering.

“i want to see him.” you said.

“should we tell him you’re here, or should we just say we need to see him?” edd asked.

“he might be angry if we hide stuff from him.” pau reasoned.

“he might refuse to see them at all if we tell him.” tom argued.

“let’s just set up a meeting, and if he asks why, we’ll tell him.” matt said, and the men nodded.

“should we all be there?” tom looked around at everyone. 

“if he requests to be alone with them in the meeting we’ll leave.” matt reasoned. 

“pat.” edd said, looking at him. “call red, set up a meeting as soon as you can. tell him it’s with all of us.”

“yes, sir.” pat said and hurried to the door.

“sir?” you echoed. “is pat, like, your assistant?”

“we’re all high ranking officials in the army.” tom clarified.

“but pat is the lowest ranked out of all of us.” edd added.

“oh.”

soon pat returned, and he walked up to you quickly.

“red leader has agreed to meet with us tonight at seven o’clock.” pat said. 

“did he ask why?” 

“no, sir.”

“great.” pau nodded, and turned to you. “(Y/N), you’ll need to stay here. we can’t have you leaving the base and risk you getting in trouble. is there anyone at home you need to call?”

“this is just for today, right?”

“i don’t know yet. you may be staying a few days.”

“oh.” you sighed. “no, i don’t need to contact anyone at home.”

edd raised his eyebrows.

“you live alone?” he asked. 

“that, and i don’t have any friends in my town.”

“alright. anything you need from home?” pau looked at you and pulled out another cigarette. 

“not right now.”

“great.” pau took out his lighter and held the flame up to his cigarette. “ i’d let you look around the base for a while but red leader doesn’t know you’re here, and we can’t risk anyone telling him there’s a civilian here.” 

“(Y/N), you’re welcome to join me in my office.” matt smiled.

“red leader could walk in at any point.” pat spoke up. 

“oh, yeah. where can we keep you then?” matt looked between pau and edd. 

“i don’t want you to just be sitting around for four and a half hours.” edd tapped his fingers against the table. “we could put you in empty living quarters, but that’s far away and there’s nothing to do. plus, there are cameras outside those rooms.”

“how about one of our rooms?” tom suggested.

“our personal rooms?” matt asked, and tom nodded. 

“that might work, actually.” edd looked at the four men around the desk.

“can’t keep them in mine. too messy.” pau said.

“(Y/N), you can stay in my room until the meeting.” pat said.

“sure. do you have books? paper?” you asked, standing up and stretching a bit.

“yes, and i have pens if you want to draw or something.” pat walked around to you.

“cool. i, uh, guess i’ll see you guys at the meeting?”

“yeah.” pau looked at you and smiled. “don’t stress about it too much.”

you smiled back, and hugged your three friends again before following pat out the door.


	7. smoke

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this ones long but please read the end notes

you had sat in pat’s room the full four and a half hours. his room was clean, with a nicely scented candle on the desk. pat had pointed out the paper and writing utensils before heading back to his office. you’d spent the time reading a collection of short stories.

you looked at the clock and saw it was six forty five. you set the book down and walked to the mirror on the wall by the door, messing with your hair until it looked good. 

as soon as you’d fixed your hair, a knock came on the door. pat entered, and you smiled nervously at him. 

“you’ll be fine.” he said as he led you down the hallway. “red leader isn’t going to kill you.”

“i’m not worried about that. i’m mostly nervous about seeing him again.” you dropped your voice on the last part, but pat still heard.

“you said you left on good terms.”

“i don’t quite know what terms we were on when he left.”

you reached the hall with their offices, and soon everyone but tom had gathered. edd stood close to you, and matt had squeezed your shoulders in a short hug. 

“alright. you all know the etiquette, but (Y/N), i’ll brief you on it. refer to him as sir, unless told otherwise. do not look him in the eye until he’s acknowledged you, or you’ll risk annoying him. and do not stare.” pau put emphasis on ‘do not stare’, making you wonder just what you would stare at. 

“ready?” edd whispered.

“i think so.” you mumbled back.

pau walked up to the tall door at the end of the hall, put a keycard up to a scanner, and opened it. you followed everyone in to a small office with a door across from you. tom was standing by a desk on the left side, and he smiled briefly at you before picking up a phone.

“red leader, sir, are you ready for the seven o’ clock meeting?”

you didn’t hear the reply over the phone, but a second later tom put the phone down and walked to the door. he pressed a number into the keypad, and the door opened.

first tom walked in, then pau, edd, and pat. matt lingered by you a second longer before you walked in together. 

the room was large, with a dark wooden floor and a deep red wallpaper. the room was dark, and had a serious atmosphere as you followed matt up to the desk. 

edd and matt stood in front of you, their height blocking you from seeing the man behind the desk. he apparently didn’t see you, either.

“red leader, sir.” pau said. “thank you for meeting with us.”

there was no reply, but you could imagine his nod.

“sir, the purpose of this meeting is to inform you of a certain person’s discovery and interest in the red army.” tom’s voice didn’t show any signs of nervousness.

again, no words came from him, but you could nearly see his eyebrow raising.

there was some small shuffling, and tom eventually spoke again.

“sir, we have (Y/N) (L/N) here.”

there was silence. it lasted for hours, you felt, but in reality you knew it was a few minutes.

then, while it wasn’t a word, but you knew that curious hum. he’d made the same noise when you talked about your interests.

you heard the men in front of you moving, and felt the spike of nervousness in your stomach. 

edd was the last to move, and once his tall frame was to your side, you focused on the desk. you didn’t want to look at him yet.

there was another minute of silence, before a drawer slid open and something was removed. you heard the telltale click of a lighter, and steadied your hands.

“i didn’t think i’d ever see you here.” his voice, though lower and rougher from years of smoking, sent a pain in your chest. 

you stayed quiet.

“it’s been, what, three years?”

you slowly nodded.

he laughed for a second.

“would you mind looking at me when i speak to you?” he sounded amused. 

you breathed in through your nose, and lifted your eyes.

there he sat. his hair was still up in horns, but he had a ponytail tied in the back. he had a red dress shirt and black tie on underneath a deep blue coat, two metal strips on the shoulders. the side of his face was scarred and pink, the scars continuing down his neck. he had an eyepatch over the scarred eye, and his hands were covered in black gloves. his one grey eye was half-lidded and glinting with amusement. he had a cigar between his smirking lips. he had changed, but tord kept the same smug smirk he’d always had.

“there we go.” as he spoke smoke spilled from his lips, drifting around his face and making him look ethereal.

“red leader, sir-” pau began, but tord held up his right hand, eyes still trained on you.

“would you mind leaving us for a while?” 

they all shifted before pau nodded. they all left the room, and you felt very alone.

“you look terrified.” he mused. 

you bit your lip, unsure of what he wanted. 

“i’d appreciate it if you spoke to me.” tord said, smirk falling. when you remained silent, he took a drag off his cigar and stood up. 

he set the cigar in a metal ashtray and slowly walked around the desk to you, coming to a stop behind you.

you turned around to look at him, finding he was closer than you’d thought. you stepped back and ended up leaned against the desk. tord quickly set his arms on the desk, trapping you by leaning over you. 

you stared into his visible eye, and let your gaze flicker briefly to his lips. tord moved closer and looked at you.

“do you really have nothing to say to me?” he leaned down, dangerously close to kissing you. 

“i have so much i want to say to you.” you finally whispered, and he smiled slightly. it was exhilarating, to be so close to him again. 

“i’ll be quite honest,” he spoke as he moved a knee between your legs, “i never thought i'd see you again. there’s so much ive missed about you.” 

“like what?”

tord’s eyes flicked from your eyes to your lips. you swallowed. he knew just what he did to you.

“i didn’t expect this army to be yours.” tord dragged his thumb up your forearm as you spoke.

“no?” he smiled.

“no. tord-”

“kjære.” he interrupted, voice laced with meaning. “i’ve waited too long to see you again to just talk.” 

before you could respond he had leaned in, lips firmly against yours. his right hand moved to hold your jaw, and you quickly put your hands around his shoulders. you hadn’t expected the meeting to dissolve into this, but when tord pushed your hips so you sat on the desk, you decided not to complain.

you broke apart, a furious warmth on your cheeks. tord chuckled, pressing his fingers on your hips, and the right hand felt different than the left. tord looked at you and for a second you were back in the old house, young and freely affectionate. 

then tord moved back, hands behind his back and mouth set straight.

“i was surprised to see you here, but i’m not interested in how you got to this base. i’m more interested in what you planned on doing here.” his tone was flat. 

“i, uh,” you moved from sitting on the desk to standing in front of it, “i just wanted to learn more about what the red army did. i understood coming here meant being considered for the army. i suppose i was going to join the lower ranks.” 

“with no fighting experience?”

“i have some medical experience.”

“hm.” tord regarded you in a manner completely different than he used to. before, when he looked you over, he was always flirting. now he seemed to be evaluating your worth.

“how did edd, tom and matt get in? and get so high up?” you asked. 

“they all had previous military experience. not to mention, matt is good at organizing and obtaining weapons, and edd is an excellent trainer for the higher ups. tom makes for a good advisor.”

“oh.” you didn’t know what else to say, as you hadn’t expected that. you realized that tord was probably going to ignore the past and make you a private, forgetting about you as soon as he’d approved your entry. or worse - he’d just send you away. 

“i could just threaten you into secrecy and make you go home.” tord said, and you knew he saw the disappointment in you from the amusement shown in his eye. “if i were feeling nice, i’d make you a commissary staff or a medical assistant.” he continued. you were unsure what he was getting at and pushed the last flare of hope away. “but…” he paused. 

“pau is a very busy man. he’s been complaining lately that his work load is too much.” tord walked back to his chair, sitting in it as he set his hands on the desk, fingertips pressing together. 

“i’ll cut you a deal, (Y/N).” hearing your name from his voice felt odd. even before he’d left he hardly called you that, instead referring to you with a pet name. “seeing as you have no military training and you are probably near useless as a medical worker, i’m going to make you pau’s personal assistant.”

“like tom?”

tord let out a snort.

“tom will actually be your superior. your job will be to run errands for pau, do any paperwork you are able to do, and any other small things he asks.”

“what do you mean ‘able to do’?” 

“you are not considered my second in command, like pau. that means there are certain papers you are not cleared to see, based on your rank.”

“what if he asks me to do something i’m not cleared to do? or a task i can’t complete?” you wanted to know what you were getting into.

“pau knows his place. you’re really just doing secretary work, (Y/N).” tord looked at you, no emotion showing. “if you don’t accept the offer soon, i’ll send you home.”

“i’ll do it.” you said. 

“wonderful. be awake and dressed by six thirty five, and in pau’s office by six fifty. if you are late i will know. you will be issued your formal uniform tomorrow after dinner. when in base, you will wear the everyday uniform, which will be provided tomorrow morning. if pau allows you perhaps we can arrange for you to wear a different outfit.” tord made sure you looked at him as he explained the rules. “pau will show you the base tomorrow, and he’ll tell you when and where to go for meals. you will be respectful of your superiors, and you will refer to them as sir. you are to treat everyone professionally. is this understood?”

“yes, sir.” 

“your living quarters will be arranged tomorrow. you’ll be getting your own room. it is to be kept clean, as is your uniform. no pets or food allowed inside.” tord stood up and looked at you. “and if i catch you with anyone in a comprising manner, there will be consequences.” he came around to your side of the desk again. 

“you are to address me as red leader, and red leader only. you will not come into my office unless authorized by me. do not approach me casually. you will not speak to me as a friend, you will speak to me as your leader.” he was serious, and you wondered if the kiss you had shared was the last one you’d ever get. 

“do not think i’ll provide any special treatment. you work for me, and i will not favor you because of our past.” he paused. “just because we kissed does not mean we have any sort of relationship.”

you felt the disappointment flood through you, but tried to hide it.

“yes, sir.”

“tonight you’ll be staying in pat’s quarters. you will be sleeping in separate rooms. don’t think about doing anything.”

tord glared down at you.

“you are dismissed, (Y/N).” 

“thank you, sir.”

you walked towards the door, hoping he’d call you back and acknowledge the tensions between you. he remained silent, and you exited the room.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> so YES this will be a slow burn. i know it doesn’t seem like it bc yall just kissed, but this is a different kind of slow burn. you and tord are probs gonna do more kissng, but it’s an EMOTIONAL slow burn,,,, so you wont really be dating or in love when you kiss but rather youre just doing it to do it. ;) enjoy


	8. remembrance

everyone was waiting in what you assumed to be tom’s office, and as you closed the door behind you and stared at the floor to steady your mind, they all remained silent.

eventually you walked to the group, falling into a chair. 

after a few minutes of silence, matt reached for your hand.

“are you alright?” his voice was soft, reminding you that the men in the room were probably worried.

“i don’t really know.” you managed.

“did he threaten you? are you going home?” tom asked from his position against the wall. 

“no, neither. he, uh.” you looked up at them all, and your eyes landed on pau. “i’m pau’s assistant now, i guess.”

“you’re not being made a private?” pat sounded surprised.

“i don’t have any military experience, and he said in any other position i would be useless.” 

tom let out an angry noise, and edd looked straight annoyed. 

“he said those exact words?”

“yeah.”

“well at least you’ll be seeing us more often, right?” matt said, and you smiled slightly. “where are you sleeping tonight?”

“he said i should share your room, pat. i’m getting my own tomorrow.” you really hoped pat would agree.

“that’s fine. you can sleep on the couch, if that’s ok.”

“yeah. thank you.” you nodded at him.

“we have a curfew. ten pm.” tom said, looking at you. “which means we need to be in our rooms in two hours.” he said to the rest of the group. 

“i’m gonna head back to my office.” edd said, and he moved over to you. you stood up and hugged him, and he spoke quietly to you. “i’m really glad you’re here, (Y/N). i missed you.” you smiled and he waved at everyone else as he left.

“i’m going to request you all get out of my office, then. i have a few more things to do.” tom stood straight and gestured to the door as he walked over to his desk. 

“kicking us out is kinda rude, tom.” pau teased, but he walked to the door nonetheless. you followed with matt at your side and pat behind you.

“(Y/N), i still have some work, so i won’t be able to show you where my room is until later. do you remember how to find it?” pat asked you, and you nodded. “alright. see you later then.” he smiled and headed into his office. 

pau stretched, his loose sweater riding up just a bit to show a sliver of muscle. you looked away and sighed heavily.

“did red say anything aside from what your job is?” pau asked, putting his hands in his pockets.

“no.” you lied. 

pau stared at you, his eyes narrowed, before he just shrugged. 

“alright. see you, (Y/N).” he smiled briefly before he went to his office. 

“do you want to talk about the meeting?” matt said, putting his hand on your arm.

“yeah, kinda.”

you both walked into matt’s office. it was a brightly lit room, the same size as pat’s office, with a desk in the same center spot and two bookshelves beside it. there was a red carpet, but there were two lamps with purple lampshades. the room was scattered with books and papers. 

matt sat at his desk chair, and you relaxed in the chair across from it. 

“did he really just give you a job?”

“...no.” 

matt smiled a bit.

“what happened? tell me all of it.”

“well… he said i looked scared. and i wasn’t speaking to him, because i didn’t know what to say, so he walked around the desk to me. and, then, um.” you stopped, and matt looked expectantly at you. “don't tell anybody this, okay?”

“i swear i won’t.” matt rested his chin in his hands.

“well, he said ‘do you really have nothing to say to me?’ and i was like ‘i have a lot to say to you’. and he basically trapped me against the desk, and i was like ‘i didn't think this army was yours’, and then…” you blushed a bit thinking about what he said next. “he said, ‘i’ve waited too long to see you again to just talk’... and then he kissed me.”

matt’s eyes widened and he leaned forward im surprise. 

“i expected some tension or flirting, but he actually kissed you? on the lips?”

“he just leaned in and we were kissing. he pushed me up on the desk and everything.”

“wow.” matt shook his head for a second. “and then what?”

“he pulled back, and he was looking at me the way he did before he moved out. then he stepped back and suddenly he was all business. he told me i’d be bad at any job but pau’s assistant, and then explained all the rules.” 

“how did he look at you before he moved out?” 

“like… like he really cared about me. but then he was like a stranger. he even said that i shouldn’t treat him like a friend and i should ignore the fact that we kissed.” 

“i’m sorry, (Y/N).” 

you shrugged.

“it’s alright. at least i get to see you all again.” you smiled. glancing at the clock, it was eight thirty. “i’m kinda tired, matt. i’m gonna head to pat’s room.”

“you’ve had a big day, huh?” matt walked around and hugged you. “see you tomorrow, (Y/N).”

“hopefully.” you laughed, and walked out the door. 

pat’s room wasn’t too far. you walked back out of the office hallway, down another hallway about ten feet away, and it was the first door behind the corner. 

you opened the door and sighed. luckily there was a blanket and a few throw pillows on the couch already. you were had nothing to do, so you just kicked off your shoes and got comfortable.

tord came up in your mind again, and you found yourself thinking about the past.

tord had never been your boyfriend. he never expressed interest in going on actual dates. you two had become friends when you met edd.

they were all older than you by a few years. you and edd bonded over art, matt discovered you both loved collecting things, and tom became a friend due to his sarcasm. the group didn’t expect you and tord to hit it off the way you did. your personalities were similar and different in the right places. you moved in with them after your apartment’s rent went up. 

after moving in, tord amped up his flirting. you found the light attraction you’d had becoming an actual crush. the two of you often hung out after everyone else was asleep. 

one night, you and tord were talking about your passions. he’d mentioned his dream of making the world a better place, and you were talking about wanting to change the world somehow.

“i don’t want to be forgotten. i want someone to remember me, and i want to make things better for at least one person.” you’d said, and when you turned to look at tord, you almost laughed at the complete look of adoration on his face. tord had reached for you, pulling you close to him, and you shared your first kiss. you held him tightly, afraid he’d pull away, but he stayed with you, kissing you countless times that night.

after that, you two fell into a weird situation for the next two and a half years. you were still friends, and made it clear to everyone you weren’t dating, but you started going to dinner with each other sometimes, and every night one of you snuck into the other’s room.

tord had told you first that he was leaving.


	9. paperwork

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> basically this is to show you’re in the army now. this chapter is a little boring and im not too proud of it but its an update so whatever :) please read the end notes!!

before you knew it, you heard an alarm from the room next to you. opening your eyes, you realized it was probably the morning.

you stretched and sat up, pushing the blanket away as you started getting up. you heard shuffling in the other room, and soon pat walked out with a stack of clothes in his grasp.

“good morning, (Y/N).” he said, yawning a bit after. he held out the clothes to you, and you thanked him as you took them.

“you don’t have a toothbrush, right?” pat headed to the bathroom as he spoke, and you followed.

“no. i didn’t expect to be here overnight.” you said, and he nodded as he opened a cabinet, pulling out a packaged toothbrush.

“here, you can use this. you might get a toothbrush put in your new room, but for now just keep this.” 

you both got ready fast, and you found the clothes fit perfectly. a soft red turtleneck, like pat’s, tall, thick black socks, and black military pants. 

“um. what do i do about shoes?” you looked at pat as you finished combing your hair.

“oh, i forgot. i have your boots in my room. red leader said they should fit.” he quickly retrieved the boots, and you laced them up to find they fit just fine. 

“alright. we eat breakfast at seven. pau will show you where to go.” pat smiled at you as you both left his room, making your way to the offices. you stopped outside of pat’s office, and he patted your shoulder. “you’ll do great.” he said, and went into his office.

you took a deep breath and walked to pau’s office, right next door, and knocked. 

“it’s unlocked.” he called from inside, and you entered. pau looked up from his desk chair, holding a thin stack of papers and smoking. 

“you’re one minute away from being late.” he said, looking bored. “but i honestly don’t care. today is mostly figuring out a few things about your registration, and then we’ve got a fuckton of paperwork.” 

“that sounds pretty tame, considering you work for a secret army.”

“considering we work for a secret army,” he put emphasis on the ‘we’. “you’re part of it now. plus, it’s not always gunning down the royal guard or smuggling weapons.” pau snuffed out his almost-gone cigarette, and set his papers on the desk. 

“you ready for breakfast?”

“is it in that huge ass room?”

“not for us. red leader decided the higher-ups should eat privately. it was mostly because he didn’t want the soldiers to see him every day - most of our new recruits don’t even know what he looks like.” pau made his way over to you, shoulders slightly hunched in a way that suggested carelessness.

“i mean, i guess i can see it being a power thing. like, he wants to remain unseen to make them feel unimportant.”

“that’s probably it. he’s never fully explained it to me.” pau nodded, and held the door for you. he started down the hallway, walking down the main hall to another wooden door. 

“this is where we go for meals. breakfast is at seven, lunch is at eleven thirty, and dinner is at six thirty.” 

“is red leader going to be here?”

“he better be. he decided to eat here.” pau grinned, opening the door, and you chuckled as you both walked in. 

the room was long and thin, a door at the end of the right side, with a table set in the center. there were seven chairs, three on both sides and one at the head of the table. everyone but tord, or red leader, as you had to think of him now, was sitting in the room. pau sat in the chair beside what you presumed was red leader’s chair, and you sat next to him in the middle seat.

“good morning, (Y/N).” matt said, and tom echoed him. you smiled at them. edd remained silent, but he still smiled at you for a split second. 

the door opened, and red leader walked in. his steps were measured and he smoothly pulled out his chair and settled into it. seconds after he was sitting, the other door slid up and a few people in aprons walked out. they quickly set down pitchers of water and juice, along with plates and silverware. more people brought in dishes of bacon, toast, and eggs, before leaving and shutting the door behind them.

red leader rested his hand under his chin, and nodded at edd. everyone then began taking food, and you waited until they had all gotten their plates done before you poured a glass of juice and took a piece of toast. 

“that all you’re eating?” pau whispered to you, a teasing smile on his face. you rolled your eyes at him, but smiled.

red leader watched you all, before he took the rest of the bacon on his plate and sat back down.

“good morning, everyone.” he said, in the same tone he’d had yesterday. “i hope you all slept well. edd, i need you to work on training regimes for the new recruits. matt, you will need to start taking stock of our ammunition. pat, we have two more interviews today - one is a potential source for weapons, the other is a possible informant. be extra careful around the informant, as they could be looking for a way to get rid of us. pau, you know what you have to do today.” red leader listed off everyone’s assignments, before taking a sip of his water. after that, you all began to eat. there was a quiet conversation between tom and matt, but otherwise the room was silent.

you and pau finished eating at the same time, and he told you to leave your dishes on the table for the cleaning crew to pick up. you felt a little bad leaving it like that.

“we have a lot to do today, so we should get back.” he said to you, and you nodded. red leader was leaving just as you did, so you found yourself following him down the hallway beside pau.

“so, is there any specific part of the base you want to see?” pau asked, lighting up a cigarette again.

“no, not really. maybe the medical area, but if we’re too busy today it can wait.” 

“alright. i’ll try to take you there tomorrow. do you need anything?”

“well…” you thought. “i’ll need toothpaste and a comb. otherwise i’m okay, but i’d like another everyday uniform.”

“you’ll get two more, and your formal. you only need to wear your formal uniform when we have an assembly or something.”

“okay. uh, am i gonna get the chance to buy stuff?”

“what would you need?” pau looked at you as you walked into the office hallway.

“like. um. personal necessities?” you didn’t want to straight up say it, and definitely not when red leader was still in front of you unlocking his door. 

“i’m gonna need specifics, doll.” pau quirked an eyebrow, clearly amused. your face flushed slightly. red leader then walked into his office and you relaxed a bit. 

“can i tell you in your office?”

pau unlocked the door instead of answering, holding it open for you again. you walked in and sat in the chair in front of the desk, as pau relaxed into his chair. 

“i need, like. underwear.” 

“that’s it?”

“well, yeah. what else would i need?”

“i thought you were going to say condoms.” pau shrugged. 

“why would i need those? red leader made it clear i shouldn’t be doing anything like that on base.” 

pau raised his eyebrows. 

“he did?”

“yeah?”

“i’ve never heard of him saying that to anyone else.”

“oh.”

“well, just don’t do anything in your own room. if you do need condoms just tell me.” pau said, and turned to his computer. “what was your address?” 

“uh.” you were still a little surprised at the fact that red leader had told only you to avoid sex, and at pau’s casual disregard of it. “34 eastburn drive.”

“any personal possessions you need to get?”

“i have some photos and books. can i have my phone here?”

“no cell phones. make a list of the specific things you want with a description of them. we’ll send over a few people to get them. no big things, but if you want a plant or a certain blanket they can bring that.” pau pushed a notepad and pen over to you. “no weird shit, either.”

“damn, guess i can’t bring my whip.” you joked. 

“a tragic loss.” pau laughed. “we’re gonna sell your house. you live in a nice part of a secluded area, so hopefully we can get some rich family to buy it soon.” you were a little disappointed, because that house had been really nice, but you had been planning on moving soon anyway. 

“alright. anything else?”

“we need to get keycards issued to you. you’ll get ones for your room, the door to this hallway, and one for this office. if you ever want a keycard to my room i can get you one.” he winked as he said that, and you laughed, though a light warmth rose to your cheeks. pau was pretty good looking, even if he was just messing with you. “you’ll need to resign from your job. call in and say an emergency rose and you need to move. we’ll make it look like you’ve left town, so don’t worry.”

“anything i need to sign?”

“not right now. make the call to your boss and i’ll find a real estate agent for you. you’ll be doing all the phone calls to make it look credible. you’ll need to cancel your phone plan, too.” 

“can i use your phone?”

“of course. sooner we get your old life out of the way, sooner we can start the mountain of paperwork i have.”

“exciting.”

“very.” pau grinned, and you picked up the phone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> alright the next chapter will take place a few weeks later, because in the story’s timeline theres nothing interesting in that time that deserves its own chapter. 
> 
> there is something important to keep in mind for the upcoming chapters!! 
> 
> reader will be entering a sort of relationship with a character who is not tord soon!!! im just telling you now so no one gets pissed over it.


	10. startup

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i actually like this one

you let out a relieved sigh as you finished looking over the final sheet of paper. pau looked up at you and chuckled.

“done?”

“yeah, finally.” you stretched your arms up, feeling the muscles in your torso relax. “are you?”

“let me sign this final form.” pau smiled a bit wider at your expression. “don’t look so disappointed. you can wait another minute.”

you rolled your eyes and quickly tidied up your side of the desk. pau clicked his pen and put his paper onto the pile in front of him. you grinned at him and he shook his head, clearly entertained by your excitement to leave the office and enjoy the rest of the evening. 

you stood and pushed your chair in, tapping your foot as you waited for pau.

“you’re really excited, huh?”

“why wouldn’t i be?”

“it’s just a night off.” pau walked to the door, letting you leave first.

“but i haven’t had one since i started. plus i get to have my night off with you!” you smiled at him as he reached over to turn the light off. 

“i’m not that fun.”

“whatever. you’re pretty much my best friend here.” you turned around and started down the hallway. 

“what about matt?” pau quickly caught up to you, his hands in his pockets. 

“i don’t see matt everyday.”

“which is why i’d expect you to want to schedule your night off with him, or pat.”

“pau.” you groaned. “they’re both great, but matt only ever wants to gossip and pat told me he spends his nights off sleeping. besides, i like being around you. i’m excited to hang out outside of our office.”

pau laughed lightly, pulling out his room’s card. you stepped in, noticing the room was cleaner than you thought it would be.

“i thought you said your room was messy?” you looked around, surprised at the lack of dishes and clothes strewn about.

“when?” pau walked through a door.

“back when i first got here.”

“that was a month and a half ago.” he called from the other room.

“did you suddenly become organized?”

pau didn’t answer. you heard clothing moving around as you began to take off your boots, and a moment later he walked back out. his coat was gone and he had replaced the sweater with a red t-shirt. you kicked off your boots to distract yourself from the fact that the shirt highlighted pau’s surprisingly muscled arms.

you didn’t know why you expected anything else - pau was a skilled soldier, you were sure, and he must have some type of strength. 

“what do you want to do?”

“i dunno. i really wish we could go out or something. just to a restaurant or something. this base is so boring.”

“you’ve only been here a month.” pau retorted, sitting on the small couch.

“and a half. how have you managed to live here for- how long has it been? two years?” you settled down beside him, surprised again at how soft the couch was. 

“try four.” he said, setting his arm by your shoulders on the couch. 

“four? how old is this army?”

“four years.”

“how old are you?” you asked, realizing you were never told his age. 

“thirty.” pau chuckled. 

“really?”

“i’m sort of insulted at your surprise. did you think i was older?” 

“you look my age!” you said, trying to wrap your head around this new information. 

“you’re just bad at guessing ages. how old is pat?”

“i dunno… twenty seven?”

“twenty five. how about matt?”

“i know how old matt is. he was born three years before me, so he’s twenty nine.”

“shit, i forgot you guys lived together.”

“that’s so weird to me, though… imagining matt as almost thirty is so weird. he’s so old.”

“hey.” pau looked jokingly angry.

“no, you’re different!”

“how?” he replied.  
“i knew matt when he was, like, twenty three. i’ve only known you as a thirty year old. plus, you look…” you trailed off.

“i look?” pau prodded. 

“i dunno. you’re kinda hot for a thirty year old.” you confessed, trying to keep your blush down. 

“only kinda?”

“fine. you’re pretty hot.” you rolled your eyes. 

“are you trying to get a promotion through flattery?” he teased. 

“fuck you. you’ve got this just-rolled-out-of-bed look, but you make it work.” 

“wow, thanks.”

“what do you want me to say?” you raised your voice in a breathy way, putting a hand to your forehead. “oh, pau, your shaggy hair and terrible shaving habits make me swoon! please, kiss me under the moonlight!”

“you’re welcome to leave at any time. the door is right there.”

“i’m kidding.” you dropped your hand and leaned forward, smiling. “you are legitimately attractive, though.”

“so i can kiss you under the moonlight?” he leaned in too, an amused look in his eyes. 

“nah. under the ugly fluorescents here is okay.” you tried to joke, but you knew you were serious. 

“whatever you say.” pau moved in closer, before he dropped back against the couch and turned, reaching for something. you furrowed your brows in frustration. 

“what the fuck?” you let a little anger into your voice. 

“what?” he turned back to you. 

“were you going to kiss me or not?”

“was i supposed to?” he raised an eyebrow, fully angling his body to you. 

“yes. we had the perfect buildup to it. a discussion about your looks, turning to some flirting, and then you throw it all away. now i have to kiss you while i’m angry.” you scoffed, and immediately moved onto his lap. you wrapped your arms around his neck and set your legs on the sides of his, positioning your lips right above his. pau’s eyebrows were raised nearly to his hairline, but you kissed him before he could say anything. 

his hands quickly found your waist, holding on lightly but securely. he pressed back almost as soon as the kiss started, one hand eventually trailing up your waist to hold the back of your neck. you let yourself enjoy the feeling, his stubble barely brushing your chin as you tilted your head. you broke apart for air several times, but each time you would start up again as soon as possible. 

pau moved back and you let him, despite wanting so badly to kiss him again. 

“is this really what you want to do?”

“what do you mean?”

“is this a desperation thing?”

“i don’t think so.” you smiled, lifting one hand to his hair and lightly tugging. 

“if red leader finds out i kissed you he’s gonna be incredibly angry.”

“he won’t find out, then, will he?” 

pau smirked and pulled you back towards him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> there you have it!! you and pau have kissed ;) don't worry, all will be figured out in the next chapter. and tord will come back soon i swear lol :)


	11. address

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> a shorter one but a fun one :P the next chapter might be a bit more serious.

you walk out of your room, feeling giddy and nervous. last night had been more fun than you’d expected. you had thought you’d end up watching a movie or playing a game. making out with pau for two hours was much more enjoyable.

you had eventually decided you should go back to your own room, and without saying anything but goodnight you had left. you had a feeling things wouldn’t be awkward between you two, though.

you entered the office you shared with pau, finding it empty. you started to look at the papers, trying to ignore why you were so nervous. 

“we gotta get all this shit done before three.” pau was shutting the door behind him, and you groaned.

“am i required to go?”

“red leader’s orders.” he made his way over to you and picked up a few sheets off the stack on his side of the desk. 

“fuck.” you muttered.

“it’s not gonna be that bad. he’s just going to address the two who moved up and then we’ll be done.”

“i have to stand the whole time, right?”

“you’ll be behind me and edd. it’ll be fine. plus, if we finish all our work, we get the rest of the day to ourselves.”

“really?”

“red leader will probably be too occupied with the new generals to notice what we do.” pau continued to look through his papers. 

you raise an eyebrow, trying not to think anything inappropriate. 

“i’ve still got an open room, doll.” he glanced up briefly to wink before he focused back on his papers.

breakfast passed quickly. red leader was absent, as he had been for the majority of the past few weeks. you ignored the slowly growing nervousness in you through the day, reading through reports and telling pau what he would need to sign. lunch was short, and the hours went much too fast, because soon it was two thirty and pau was telling you to get your formal coat on. 

“god, this better not be too long of a meeting.” you start towards the large hall the address was in.

“just think about later.” he says, and you laugh discreetly as you two walked down to the platform at the end of the room. the soldiers weren’t there yet, but pat, edd and matt were. 

“you look miserable, (y/n).” matt said, smiling a bit.

“try to look serious, not depressed.” pat stood beside you, and he began to show you how to position your arms. as soon as you had it down, the doors opened and soldiers began coming in. they were all pretty quiet, evidence of fear and good training. red leader was a bit intimidating, but he wasn’t scary.

you hoped you didn’t look ridiculous. once the soldiers were all sitting, there were a few moments of silence. then, the doors behind you opened and you heard two sets of footsteps. tom was suddenly standing beside edd, right in front of pat, and you saw someone coming into view at a podium with a microphone. you took a few seconds to realize it was, indeed, red leader, and suddenly you understood the fear of the soldiers. 

his steps were measured, strong, and he walked with complete confidence. what you saw of his face presented a stern, concentrated look. the crowd of soldiers all sat silently.

red leader began to speak, saying his words in a curt, steady tone. he was speaking about the newest advancements in the army, but you were quickly overcome by memories of the past.

tord had always been joking, smiling in a slight way that seemed to imply he knew more than you. he would hug you in the mornings before you would get up for breakfast, and he loved to set his hand on your hips or thigh as a way to remind you of his affections. you two would watch shitty movies and play arcade games, and you had always thought he was a little too good at the shootout games. you were realizing, again, that tord and red leader were the same person, and it was still shocking. you snapped back into the present just in time for you to hear the closing words, and watch the soldiers leave the room. 

once they were gone, pau and edd visibly relaxed. tom slightly shook out his hands, before walking over to red leader’s side. matt let out a soft sigh.

“you all have the rest of the day to finish any work and take a break. dinner is still at seven, but i will allow it to be taken in your rooms tonight.” red leader then walked out, tom following him. matt patted your back and left, as did pat. edd asked you briefly about how things were going, and mentioned that everyone was eating dinner in his room later. you nodded, and that left you and pau. a few moments passed before he spoke. 

“work’s all done. we have about three hours before dinner.” he said, heading to the door. 

“want to eat in edd’s room?”

“sure.”

you both walked to his room, silently, but you could feel the excitement. the door was barely closed before you were pulling pau down to meet your lips.

he didn’t seem surprised this time. you didn’t stay by the door for long, quickly being led to the couch. you broke apart for a few seconds as you situated yourselves, but as soon as you were comfortable, pau was running a hand on your waist and you were holding onto his hair. you moved from his mouth to his jaw and all you were thinking about was the way he held you, gentle as he kissed you.


End file.
